Nilesh proposed to Shalom mid December in 2015, after happily dating for a year & a half. They met and currently reside in Georgia, but were flying to California on a trip with friends to enjoy wine country, so I suggested we meet at Silverado Resort & Spa. I knew we'd have perfect scenery with wide open spaces to take photos celebrating this season of their lives, and to share the news of a wedding on the horizon. Everyone at Silverado was extremely accommodating, they escorted us on golf carts to a spot covered by tall trees, and free of golfers for the time.

Nilesh & Shalom are fun to be around, quite relaxed, and definitely easy to photograph. Not only are they secure in themselves individually, you can tell they love one another so much, they just naturally knew how to pose, making my job a piece of cake.

Not only was I able to share my view of our session together, we had the pleasure of having Christine Hanks join us. If you visit her website, I'm sure you'll find a few beautiful moments she caught. It is so amazing to compare images captured by two creatives, where all the elements are identical, but the mood they both conveyed are so different. Even if our shutters click at same second, you can have two completely different emotional responses to each photo. An image of the couple smiling at each other could appear happy & bright, while the other photographer shows you the couple in more of a dramatic setting showing the depths of their love, but that's why they call it art.

BRIDE TIP: Ask a photographer that you want to hire about their creative process. Starting with how they set up a photo, find the right moment to click the shutter to final image delivery, and everything that happens in between. Do they plan out what they want to photograph? Do they discuss you both as a couple, knowing your personalities, your preferences, what you're expecting when you look back? Do they try to get everything right from first attempt at each photo, or are they "trigger-happy" meaning overshooting, and ultimately giving you a 1 to 10 ratio of good photos. Do they edit, and how much? Be sure to question them about the process of capturing the mood you're wanting to connect with years later. Do they go on their feelings, inspiration, detailed game plan, or improvise? #DontSettleForLess #GetToKnowWhoShootsYou

UPDATE: Nilesh and Shalom have now walked down the aisle, and returned as Mr. and Mrs. Patel. My mother, Gretchen Clark and I captured the gorgeous event at the Palmetto Club in Tampa, Florida this past October. If you'd like to see the highlights from their day, click here: https://ysabellajones.com/destination-wedding-photographer-blog/shalom-nilesh-wedding-tampa-florida/2017/9/5